


Delirium

by Zoya113



Category: The Guy Who Didn't Like Musicals - Team StarKid
Genre: Angst, F/M, Fevers, Gen, Hurt and comfort, I was thinking maybe I’ve written too man of these, but guess who’s in charge of writing their own fics it’s me, delerium - Freeform, first time I’ve played w delirium tho!, implied Emma had a slightly abusive upbringing, its a sickfic another sickfic, so here’s another sickfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-12
Updated: 2019-12-12
Packaged: 2021-02-26 04:35:21
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,374
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21767686
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zoya113/pseuds/Zoya113
Summary: When Emma’s fever gets too high she starts saying things that don’t make any sense at first
Relationships: Emma Perkins & Henry Hidgens, Paul Matthews/ Emma Perkins
Comments: 10
Kudos: 88





	Delirium

Emma’s fever was so bad that Hidgens wouldn’t even let Paul take her home when she came down with it. 

It had started early in the morning, when she was complaining about a funny feeling in her stomach. And then came the daydreaming and the lack of attention. The headache, the sweating, the dizziness and the groaning. The hunched over, slow walking and a halt in responses. 

She tried to tell him it would go away, up until the moment it struck her that it wouldn’t. She was already pale, but she lost the last of the colour in her face when she knew she wasn’t going to be able to get rid of the pain straight away. 

He remembered the face she had made right before she had fainted.   
“Emma, do you need a glass of water?” He had asked. 

Emma’s head moved around like she was trying to nod it or shake it, she opened her mouth to let out a few jumbled, unintelligible sounds before her eyes unfocused and rolled back and her knees buckled. 

He caught her by the arms, stopping her from hitting her head on the floor. Her skin was covered in a sickly sweat, it was almost slimy. He eased her gently down to the floor, it was hard considering how deadweight her body was. 

He settled her head in his lap, checking her temperature. 

As she laid down she kept opening her mouth like through it all she still had to speak. 

“No Emma, dear. Just lay down. You’ve got a bad temperature.” 

When she opened her eyes again, she couldn’t move anything but her fingers or form any coherent sentences. 

“Well I wonder why that’s happened to you, dear?” He scooped her up in his arms, only slightly bothered by how much sweat was getting on his turtleneck. 

She was still fidgety and noisy as he laid her down in her bed. Her feet kicked out ever so often, usually accompanied by a groan or a gurgling. 

“Hey professor, is everything all good?” Paul asked once he was on the phone, quickly sensing something was wrong from his out of place phone call. 

“Well, our little Emma has fallen very ill,” he told Paul, trying to keep his voice calm so as not to frighten Paul. It wouldn’t be helpful if they were all frightened. It was hard to make the phone call when Emma wouldn’t let go of his hand.

“What? How bad?” 

“She’s not dying, if that’s got you worried. It’s just a temperature. It’s best we keep her here until she’s in a better state to move,” he recommended, looking at the way her eyes were wrenched shut and her brow was knitted, grimacing with pain. “She’s not pleasant.” 

“Can I come over and see her?” Paul asked hopefully. 

“Of course you can.“ Hidgens watched over her until Paul arrived. He had already set her up with some water and pills and towels, but Paul, ever the prepared, showed up with the exact same things in his bag. 

“I didn’t know what I should bring,” he admitted as he met Hidgens at the front door. “Is she okay?” 

“Why don’t you go see her yourself? She’s in her room. But just don’t get too close, she vomited earlier.” He brushed down his turtleneck, clearing his throat. “She’s delirious. Completely feverish. She’s saying some funny things, don’t let that scare you. But I’ll give you a moment alone with her.”

Paul winced, giving a firm nod to ensure him he understood. He hurried up the stairs and into Emma’s room. 

She was somewhere underneath she sheets, groaning and fussing with her crumpled sheets. 

“Hey, babe,” he quietly shut the door behind him. 

She grunted to acknowledge him, but she wasn’t quite awake. 

He set her drink bottle down lightly on the bedside table, but Emma had a heavy, tin bottle and it clinked loudly when it touched the table. 

“Whuh?” She blinked one eye half open, pressing her head into her pillow and looking at Paul before shutting her eyes tight. 

“Hey baby,” he leant over to brush her hair out of her face. “You got a little fever?” 

She shied away from his touch, her nose scrunching up. She whimpered. 

“Oh no, hey honey. How’s your head?” He asked. 

She held her breath and shut her eyes tighter like all of a sudden she was pretending to be asleep. 

“Hey Em?” He asked, chuckling slightly at how poor the façade was being upheld. “It’s just me. Are you feeling all good?” 

“Go away dad,” she grumbled, swatting at his hand when he tried to hold hers. 

“Aww, it’s me Em. Hidgens is downstairs. Is he smothering you a little?” He snickered. “He’s just worried. You aren’t looking well.” 

“I’m just ‘sleep,” she told Paul, tossing onto her side so she could face away from him. 

He gave her back a pat. “Well yeah baby I can see that. Do you need anything? I brought you some water. You should drink.” 

He wanted to roll her over and help her lift her head to drink, so he put one hand under her neck but the second he touched it she yelled.

She fought with her blankets to pull them up and tucked herself against the wall where he couldn’t touch her. 

“Emma! It’s okay, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you!” His face flushed a deep red. He hoped Hidgens hadn’t heard that.   
He tried again, murmuring gently to her so she knew what to expect, but anytime his hands would touch her she would yell and scream and cower until he pulled back. 

“Just stop, just stop,” she tried to plead with him. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry it’s my fault!” 

Paul sat down besides the bed in defeat. She wouldn’t let him near her. These were probably the crazy ramblings he had been warned about. “No, it’s okay. It’s not your fault,” he tried to convince her, not even knowing what she was on about. “Emma, you must really be burning up!” He made the risky decision to check the lymph nodes on her neck. They were swollen badly. 

“Please!” Emma grabbed his hand in both of hers, like she was fighting with someone much stronger than her.

Paul withdrew his hand, not wanting to scare her in her feverish state. Did she think he was trying to choke her? It would be better to get Hidgens to watch over her, and wait for the fever to subside. He just wished he could offer her some comfort when she was in that much pain. 

“Okay Emma. It’s fine.” He heaved a sigh, raising to his feet and stretching his hands up above his hand.

“Ah!” Emma’s eyes flew wide open as she stared at Paul as he rose, horror-stricken. She scrambled upright, freezing as he looked at her.

“You’re feverish. You’re just having a nightmare,” he tried to explain to her. “It’s just me, Paul. I’m not here to attack you. Just to give you some water and check in.” He picked up her bottle off the table, holding it forward. “You have to stay here until you’re better.” 

“Okay, okay, I’ll-I’ll stay. Promise.” 

He chuckled. “Well you don’t have a choice Em. I can’t take you home when you’re this sick. Hidgens was right.” 

“Yeah. You were right. I’ll stay here until I’m good again. I’m so sorry,” she whimpered, her head was tucked into her knees but she glanced up to look for Paul’s hand, covering her head when it was still raised. “Please don’t yell at me.”

Paul rubbed his neck anxiously. He didn’t like the way she was speaking. “Oh god, uh, you didn’t mean Hidgens when you said ‘dad’ did you?” He questioned. “You were talking about your real dad.”

“Listen!” Emma started, her voice loud in its pitch. “Hidgens did nothing wrong, dad. This isn’t his fault!” 

He sat down besides her on the bed, he just wanted to take her hand and maybe she would recognise how perfectly their fingers interlocked, and how familiar and soft his hold would be. 

But she panicked. Of course she panicked. He hadn’t thought it through at all. She distanced herself from him, trying to kick off her sheets so she could get out of her bed and to her own feet. 

“Oh no Emma! Don’t do that!” He tried to warn her, standing up to catch her incase she fell. 

She tried with the doorknob but her hand was too clammy to work it, and instead she spun around to shield her head as Paul crossed the room to her, yelping. She staggered backwards as she tried to keep her balance. 

“I’m not hurting you Emma! I’m just making sure you don’t fall. How about you go sit back down in bed?” He requested, not making any sudden movements. 

“I haven’t done anything wrong, promise!” She swore, trying to steady her rapid, panting breaths. “I’ve been doing just what you’ve told me to!”

“Okay, okay, okay,” Paul held his hands out in defence. “Yeah, you’ve done nothing wrong! Not you, not Hidgens. You’re good Emma, you’re a good girl, now you have to lie back down,” he spoke awkwardly, deciding it would be better to cut to the important part before bothering about clearing his identity up. 

“Nothing wrong,” she repeated. “I promise I’ve done nothing wrong.” Her eyes were somehow both unfocused and fixed on him in terror. 

“Okay. Nothing wrong. Now go lie down in bed. You aren’t well.” He pointed at her bed, and with a dizzy head she seemed to consider it for a second. 

“Sorry dad,” she bowed her head, her legs too shaky to move, so he tried to help her over. 

But when he even came near her she let out a screech that quickly turned into a sob. 

Paul held a hand to his own forehead. This was tricky. “Emma, don’t scream. Don’t scream, just go lay down in bed.” To be sure she obeyed this time, he made sure to click his fingers at her bed. 

Emma nodded at the command, stumbling over towards her bed with an attempt to stifle her cries.

“What’s going on in here?” The door to her room opened and Paul hurried to tuck his hands back into his pockets. It must have looked pretty incriminating. 

Emma whimpered at the loud noise before seemingly recognising him and crawling right back out of her bed to throw herself into his arms. 

“What’s all that screaming?” He asked her, running a gentle hand through her hair as she sobbed into his turtleneck. “It’s just Paul, Emma dear. No need to make all that noise.” 

Paul nodded, rubbing his eyes. “Professor, I wasn’t doing anything to her. I’ve just been trying to get her to calm down!”

He nodded his head, rubbing Emma’s back as he tried to guide her back to bed. “Oh I know. It’s been this all morning. I can’t get her off me,” he rolled his eyes but he didn’t sound like he was complaining at all. 

“Hidgens,” she mumbled into his chest, refusing to let go of her death grip on him even when he set her down in her bed. He had to sit besides her and she wormed her way onto his lap. 

“Well at least she recognises you,” Paul sighed, watching her tense up when he even took a step close to her.

“Oh she’ll snap out of it soon,” Hidgens wasn’t too worried. “I hope so at least. Very hard to get anything done when you’ve got someone holding onto you like this. I can’t even walk! I was hoping I could pass her onto you,” he admitted with a smile. “But I suppose she just needs me right now.”

Paul wouldn’t say he was jealous, but if he couldn’t use that word there weren’t many others to choose from.

“Emma dear?” He spoke quietly to her, waiting for her to lift her head up from his chest to look at him. “Paul’s here.” 

“No, no. My dad,” Emma tried to warn him, her voice shaky and only just intelligible.

Hidgens shook his head, clicking his tongue. “No. Only me and Paul. And we’re both going to keep you safe from that man.”

“Really Paul?” She mumbled. “Can I see him?” 

“If you let go of me,” he nodded. “Then I’ll get Paul for you.” 

Emma submitted with a whine, letting go of her hook grip around his back, but failing to lift her head up from his chest. 

“Emma,” Paul tried to speak just as quietly to her, placing his palm on her back like he usually did. 

“I don’t feel good Paul.”

He was washed with relief to hear her say his name. “I know, Emma.”

“There we go,” Hidgens sighed too, shuffling Emma off him so he could stand up. 

Paul took his spot, scooping Emma up onto his lap. She rested her head up against him, melting into his shape. Aside from the crippling fever, she looked so comfy she could have probably fallen asleep. 

“She’s yours to deal with now, young man. Don’t expect to be getting up for the next couple of hours, she’s a clinger.” Hidgens smoothed out the creases Emma had left in his sweater. 

Paul snickered, rubbing a thumb over Emma’s arm. “I think I’m fine with that.” 

Hidgens was about to step out the door when he poked his head back in. “We’ll take shifts,” he declared. “In three hours, it’s my turn,” he added before closing the door. 

He laughed, hugging Emma a bit tighter. “Hi Emma.”

“Hey Paul,” she mumbled. “My head fuckin’ hurts.” 

“I know, Emma. Try and get some rest. I’m here for you.”

She nodded. “And Hidgens? Where’s he? I want him too.”

He gave her one of his hands so she could play with his fingers. “Yeah. We’re all here for you, Em.” 

She grinned sleepily, her body still twitching as it fought the fever, but her face almost calm. “Thanks, guys.” 

Neither of them were going to let her Emma be alone, not if they had any say in it.

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry for vanishing for a week I had a phat depressive episode god


End file.
